Sunday, June 22, 2014

Bar 702 (Sand Dollar) From Bar Rescue Has Been Sold

Bar 702 in Las Vegas, Nevada, which was featured on season 3 of Bar Rescue has been sold and is under new ownership.  This happened in May 2014, and a post on their Facebook Page stated:
"So as some of you may or may not know Bar702LV is now under new ownership and the calendar is staying the same. We are really excited about the new endeavor!!!"
 Also, the About Us section of the Bar702 website now says:
Hi Everyone!! My name is Brooke Alexander, and I am the owner at Bar 702.

I moved to Las Vegas two years ago, after running and owning a string of successful bars in Chicago. But I always wanted a bar in Las Vegas. My dream finally came true in May 2014. I found Bar 702, and when I learned of the history as the Sand Dollar Lounge, I knew it was the perfect place.

Of course nothing worthwhile comes easy. I know of the struggles many bars have had trying to succeed in the Las Vegas market, and particularly how hard the Sand Dollar was hit back in the mid 2000's. I look forward to the challenge of making the Sand Dollar Lounge at Bar 702 the coolest place to be in vegas!

Staying true to the roots of the bar, we are going to focus on live entertainment. Having great bands here nightly is going to be our main objective. We want you to know that no matter what night you are looking for something to do, you will find the best music in town. During the week we will have many recurring events including things like our popular open mic night, funk jam and other local bands. On the weekends we will be booking a variety of local and touring acts, featuring different genres like hard rock, classic rock, blues, reggae, ska and much more. You can always take a look at our schedule to see who is playing throughout the month.

But we are going to be more than just live music. We will have many big screen TV's for you to come in and enjoy all the sports action week in and week out. Football, Basketball, Baseball, Hockey, Soccer...If there is a game or sporting event you want to see, we will turn it on for you.
So come on down to the ALL NEW Sand Dollar Lounge at Bar 702, and introduce yourself. I look forward to rockin' with you for many years to come!
You may recall that Dr. Wilkes, one of the previous owners of the bar, is suing Bar Rescue and Jon Taffer, but who knows if that had any impact on their decision to sell the bar.

Side Note - a podcast on Real Sports Talk had the new owner of Bar 702 and many other owners that have appeared on Bar Rescue to talk about their experience and to give updates on their bars.  Here is the link if you are interested.

Bar 702 has been marked as 'Sold' on the Bar Rescue Updates page, which has updates for all Bar Rescue episodes.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

The Chicken Bone (The Bone) From Bar Rescue To Close For The Summer

The Chicken Bone in Framingham, Massachusetts, which was on season 1 of Bar Rescue announced today that they would be closing for the rest of the summer.  The Chicken Bone was renamed to 'The Bone' during their Bar Rescue makeover, but they quickly went back to their original name.

In a status on their Facebook Page, the bar stated:
Dear Friends of The Chicken Bone:

Summertime has always been a very slow time of year for us here at The Chicken Bone. Many people are away on vacation and/or enjoying outdoor activities. This, combined with the changes in the economy and the rise in cost of living expenses, means we all have less money to spend on eating out and entertainment.

Up until last summer, The Chicken Bone had always been open 7 days a week. Last summer, in an effort to minimize the impact of the slow season, we reduced our operating hours and decided to be closed on Mondays. We have made the difficult decision to suspend our operations for the entire summer this year, with a re-opening scheduled for right after Labor Day.

We want to thank all of our staff and all of our customers for your friendship and support over the years. We know that The Chicken Bone would not be the special place that it is without all of you. We hope that you enjoy the summer and come back to see us in the fall for the great food and live music that The Chicken Bone is known for.

We will close beginning Tuesday June 17th and re-open after Labor Day. We apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to seeing you again in the fall.

Sincerely,
Bill & John

You would think that in a place like Massachusetts that business would be better in the summer than in the winter, but who knows.  Whether they follow through on their word of re-opening on Labor Day remains to be seen, so this will be one to watch.  For now, this bar will not be marked as closed on the Bar Rescue Update list, but if anything changes, there will be another update.

UPDATE - The Chicken Bone never reopened and closed for good.  More information on the closing.

Bar Rescue Specials To Air In The Coming Weeks

Photo - Spike
Just a heads up that this Sunday, there will be two half-hour Bar Rescue specials on Spike TV.  They will be at 9pm ET, and the first one is "Taffer's Top 10: Most Disgusting Bars", where Jon Taffer will count down the ten most "repulsive establishments" he has encountered up until this point.

The second half-hour special this Sunday is "Taffer's Top 10: Worst Owners", where there will be a countdown of the most unpleasant owners from the show over the years.

Next week on Sunday, June 29th, there will be two more Bar Rescue Top 10 specials at 9pm ET.  The first one will be "Taffer's Top 10: Angriest Moments" where Jon Taffer counts down his angriest moments from the show.  The second one is "Taffer's Top 10: Toughest Rescues" that counts down the toughest rescues that he has encountered.

Sunday, June 8, 2014

O'Face's Liquor License Suspended Seven Days and Fined $1,000

On May 30th, O'Face agreed to a settlement with the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division for an incident that occurred at their bar on November 11th, 2012.  The bar admitted guilt and said they "sold, dispensed, or gave an alcoholic beverage or beer to persons who were intoxicated at the time."

According to the settlement, O'Face will have their liquor license suspended for seven days from 8am, October 5, 2014 to 8am, October 12, 2014.  During that period, the bar can remain open for other lawful activities, but no alcohol of any kind can be sold or given away during that time frame.  They also must pay $1,000 to the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division.

Here is the link with information regarding the settlement.

This comes just after the Council Bluffs City Council rejected their liquor license.  O'Face appealed that decision, and has a hearing date for their liquor license renewal on July 28th (link to documents).  Look for an update on that after the hearing occurs.

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Bar Rescue - The V Bar (South Park Bar & Grill) Update

Tonight on Spike TV is the special 'lost' episode of Bar Rescue where they will be showing the pilot of the show for the first time.  Bar Rescue started airing on Spike TV in July of 2011, and this pilot was filmed in June of 2010.

In the pilot episode, Jon goes to South Park Bar & Grill in Montclair, New Jersey.  The bar has a hot head owner who is kicking both customers and employees out of his bar.  He also doesn't seem to respect his employees or Jon Taffer's knowledge.

It appears that they renamed South Park Bar & Grill to The V Bar (short for Vodka Bar) during the makeover, but the name did not stick.  The bar changed their name again to The Park Sports Bar not long after Jon Taffer made all of the changes.  Lets take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for The Park Sports Bar since Bar Rescue came to their bar in 2010.